Recovering oil from an underground deposit may include a downhole oil recovery operation, where pressurized fluid is pumped into an oil-containing formation or oil deposit. In general, the pressurized fluid may be used to increase the pressure within a formation or oil deposit and thereby force the oil outward or upward to the surface for collection. A downhole oil recovery operation may involve high pressures; therefore, there is a need for a mechanism to protect the oil recovery systems (e.g., the pumps, piping, instruments, and ancillary components of the pumping system) from potentially damaging over-pressurization. One such mechanism may include a valve, which may be configured to open when a predetermined pressure is reached, thereby allowing pressure to escape before failure occurs.
An oil recovery valve may be exposed to fluctuating high pressures, which may cause the valve to oscillate or “chatter” without fully opening, which may allow nuisance leakage or oscillating leakage from the valve into the environment. Such leakage may be undesirable. Such leakage may, for example, allow oil deposits to accumulate on, in, or around valve components or other components of the pumping system. Such oil deposits may pose a safety concern to the environment around a valve (e.g., causing slippage), or may negatively impact the maintenance or operation of the valve. There is a need for an oil recovery valve that reduces or eliminates nuisance leakage or oscillating leakage.
One example of an oil recovery valve uses a buckling pin to set the pressure at which the valve may be opened. Examples of a buckling pin valve are disclosed in co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/221,856 (U.S. Pub. No. 2007/0056629) and co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/573,200 (U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0199622), the entire contents of each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. A buckling pin valve is configured to translate the pressure inside a system into a compressive or buckling force on the buckling pin. Once a predetermined pressure in the system is reached (corresponding to a predetermined compressive force on the buckling pin), the buckling pin will buckle and allow the valve to open and release pressure from the system. When the pressure returns to a safe level, the valve may be reseated and a new buckling pin may be inserted into the system. There is a need for a system that facilitates access to an installed buckling pin, e.g., for removal and replacement. There also is a need for a system that facilitates access to and/or allows the use of a buckling pin (or other failure member) provided as part of a pin cartridge.
Because the opening pressure of a buckling pin valve may be set by the buckling pin, it may be desirable to provide a buckling pin valve that may be used with buckling pins of different cross-sectional shapes (e.g., circular or polygonal), dimensions (e.g., length, diameter), materials (e.g., steel, titanium), or surface features (e.g., notches, scoring) to facilitate buckling or otherwise change the force that may be required for the pin to buckle. It also may be desirable to provide a system wherein the buckling pin is protected from damage or tampering that might weaken the buckling pin or otherwise change the buckling pin's performance. It further may be desirable to provide a system wherein a different type of failure mechanism may be used, such as, e.g., different types of failure pins (including a breaking pin, shear pin, tension pin, torsion pin, or other suitable failure member component configured to fail in response to a predetermined stress or strain). It also may be desirable to provide a deformable activation component, such as a spring, cam release, or other mechanical release, configured to control the pressure at which a valve may open.
The present disclosure discloses embodiments of an oil recovery valve that may achieve one or more of the foregoing (or other) benefits.